The Orlando Magic’s mantra for the 2022-23 season was made clear by coach Jamahl Mosley at the end of last season.
“The one thing we’ve talked about with these guys is the foundation is set,” Mosley said after the Magic’s 2022 season finale. “Now it goes into the little things, the tiniest of details that they have to understand of what we’re trying to do. Leveling up one more.”
The results suggest the Magic did.
Their 12-win improvement from last season (22-60 to 34-48) was the most in the Eastern Conference and the third-most in the league behind Sacramento (48-34 this season after going 30-52 in 2021-22, an 18-win improvement) and Oklahoma City (40-42 after going 24-58 last year, a 16-win improvement).
The Magic went 29-29 in their final 58 games after starting the season 5-19 mainly because of injuries.
But in what ways did the Magic level up and improve the most?
An analysis of their 2022-23 season:
Defense
Mosley has said it from the beginning: the foundation of the Magic’s success must come from the defensive end.
Orlando took a significant step in becoming the defensive-minded team it wants to be.
The Magic finished 2021-22 with a defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) of 112.1, which ranked 19th in the league. Their defensive rating of 111.3 in their final 46 games last season ranked 10th.
In their 29-29 stretch from Dec. 5-April 4, when they were eliminated from postseason contention, the Magic had a defensive rating of 112.8 — the league’s sixth-best mark. They finished the season with a 113.7 defensive rating for No. 18 in the league.
Orlando sustained high-level defensive play for a longer period of the season.
The Magic showed growth in limiting shots inside the paint and contesting 3-pointers.
A next step will be allowing fewer open 3s and being more effective with altering shots inside the paint.
Clutch
The Magic’s development in terms of how they handled clutch situations — when the scoring margin is within 5 points with five or fewer minutes remaining in a game — was apparent.
Orlando went 13-20 in games that featured clutch minutes last season. Their 33 games featuring clutch situations were tied for the fourth-fewest.
The Magic played more clutch games this season at 44, tied for the ninth-most in the league.
They went 19-25, slightly better than last season, including 16-14 after Dec. 5 — when guards Cole Anthony and Markelle Fultz were no longer playing on a minutes restriction after returning from injuries.
Playing in these kinds of games helped the Magic learn more about what it takes to win at a higher level.
Free throws
The Magic made significant strides in getting to the free-throw line.
They had a free-throw rate (the number of free throws they made per 100 field goal attempts) of 17.5% last season, which was the league’s fourth-worst mark, according to Cleaning The Glass.
Orlando finished the season with a free-throw rate of 22.6%, the league’s fifth-best mark. It was the first time they had a top-10 free-throw rate since the 2009-10 season.
Rookie forward Paolo Banchero, who averaged 7.4 free-throw attempts, helped the Magic significantly in this area. But multiple players showed an improved ability to get to the line.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
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